


Shining, Shimmering, Splendid

by Miyuki_scourgeofthefirenation



Series: That Zukka Teacher AU [3]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Family, Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Holidays, M/M, POV Zuko (Avatar), Parades, Winter, based a little too much on author's real life experiences, but in a good way i think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:13:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27918772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miyuki_scourgeofthefirenation/pseuds/Miyuki_scourgeofthefirenation
Summary: Some winter family fun and fluff with Sokka, Zuko, Izumi, and Uncle Iroh.~All works in the series, while within the same universe, can be understood and enjoyed as standalone fics!
Relationships: Iroh & Izumi (Avatar), Iroh & Sokka (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Izumi & Sokka (Avatar), Izumi & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: That Zukka Teacher AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1829605
Comments: 14
Kudos: 88





	Shining, Shimmering, Splendid

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to the first of Miyuki's seasonally appropriate non-denominational winter holiday celebration fics! Please enjoy! 
> 
> Also, please be kind, I'm going through it a bit right now in my life haaaaaaaaa
> 
> This story does not have anything to do with Aladdin, sorry if that is disappointing. I was just trying to think of a title and this popped into my head… And it just fit y’know? Well, maybe you don’t, but you WILL.

“Who’s excited for today?” Sokka was grinning from the driver’s seat, keeping his eyes firmly on the road, but darting back occasionally to check on the little girl in the backseat.

“Me!!!” Izumi exclaimed happily, her small legs bouncing in excitement against her carseat. Zuko smiled from where he sat in the passenger seat, turning his body to look at his daughter. 

“What are you most excited for?” he asked, reaching back to adjust the hat on her head. There, he thought to himself, now everyone would be able to see the snowman’s face perfectly. Izumi had told her dads before they left the house that this was very important to her, so Zuko was making sure the day was everything she wanted in every way possible.

“Hmmmm,” Izumi pondered the question, her small face deep in concentration. Zuko wanted to laugh at how adorable she looked. “Cinderella,” she finally declared decisively after a few more moments.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be great! Jose said Mari loved it!” Sokka interjected. He seemed just as excited for the day as Izumi was. This infectious enthusiasm was one of the things Zuko loved about his husband. Then again, Zuko loved so many things about his husband that if he were to make a list it would fill a phone book. 

Jose was one of the art teachers at the school Zuko and Sokka worked at. They had been talking in the break room one day a couple weeks ago when he had mentioned a really cool display that had been set up by a store. Jose had said his daughter Mari loved it, the theme for the year was Cinderella. The store was a couple hours drive away, and coincidentally happened to be very close to where Zuko’s uncle Iroh lived. Sokka and Zuko had already been planning on taking Izumi to see Iroh around the holidays, and this seemed like a great opportunity for a family day of fun. Iroh had then made the day even better when he had called to tell Zuko that he had found out about a special holiday parade that would be happening in the downtown of the city that very same day too.

Zuko beamed happily at the excitement radiating off of his small family. Today was going to be wonderful.

* * *

They arrived in the city, and found a parking spot in a parking garage a block away from the department store. Sokka and Zuko walked along with Izumi in between them, both holding hands with the chipper little girl. As they rounded the corner and came up on the entrance to the department store, Izumi let go and raced ahead of them. This caused a moment of panic for Zuko, and he saw that panic reflected in Sokka’s body language as their daughter tugged herself out of their grip in the middle of a busy city street. He let out a sigh of relief though, when he realized Uncle Iroh was standing just a few steps away from them. It was for this reason that Izumi had darted away, focused entirely on throwing herself into the arms of the waiting grey haired man.

“Hello my little lotus,” Uncle Iroh murmured, bringing his arms around his granddaughter. Even though he was Zuko’s uncle, not father, Izumi had grown up referring to him as ‘Grandpa Iroh.’

“Hi Grandpa!” she now said, still snuggly tucked into his arms.

“Hello Uncle,” Zuko said fondly, drawing up alongside the pair.

“Hey Iroh,” Sokka greeted.

“Hello Nephews! I trust the drive went smoothly?”

“Yep, though it seemed to take forever with how excited we all were! Right Pumpkin?”

“Cinderella too far,” Izumi agreed with a serious nod. The three adult men all burst into soft laughter at that.

“Right you are, little lotus, right you are,” Uncle Iroh smiled. “Well, today promises to be full of enjoyment, so let us not waste any more time outside here in the cold. Let us start making memories!” With that they turned to walk inside the building.

* * *

The holiday display, it turned out, was an annual thing. Every year the department store set aside part of the fifth floor of the building to turn into a lavish extravaganza of holiday cheer. Each year had a different theme to it, some more obviously holiday based than others. This year the theme was Cinderella. The best part was that the displays were free for the public to attend. This allowed everyone to participate and have fun.

The small family group made their way up the stairs (Sokka was afraid of elevators, and while the others could have taken the elevator and simply met him up there they all went by stairs instead.) Once on the fifth floor, they followed the signs pointing the way around a corner to where the display was. 

Zuko wasn’t entirely sure what he had been expecting from the display, maybe a small room or two with small dioramas set up. That was not what he was greeted with when they pushed through the doors to the display though. He was immediately inundated with what seemed to be miles of sparkling, well, everything. His breath left his throat as he began to take in the sight before him. These displays were a far cry from small dioramas with minifigures.

Directly in front of him a life-size Cinderella in a gorgeous sparkling white dress stood frozen mid-twirl with Prince Charming at the ball. There were a few other dancing couples sprinkled through the scene as well, with glitter clinging to them as well, though nowhere near as much as the main two. A working crystal chandelier hung over the scene, illuminating and reflecting everything below.

“Ooooooooooo,” Izumi gasped in awe.

“That is spectacular,” Uncle Iroh breathed. Zuko agreed wholeheartedly. The scene was easily one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

Off to the side of the door was a small panel explaining a bit about the display, its history and the theme for the year. Zuko and Sokka both paused briefly to read it, as Uncle Iroh and Izumi continued drinking in the initial display. Because as it turned out, this was just the introductory display. There were nine more displays after this one.

“Ahem,” Sokka and Zuko were pulled away from reading the panel by the sound of Uncle Iroh’s small cough behind them. “Nephews, I think we should start seeing the rest of the rooms now.” Zuko looked around to see an extremely eager Izumi attempting to tug Uncle Iroh’s hand through the doorway to their right.

Sokka grinned, moving to take their daughter’s hand, it wouldn’t do for her to pull Uncle Iroh’s arm out of its socket after all. “By all means, lead the way Pumpkin!”

* * *

Together, the group threaded through the other rooms and displays. Each one brought the scenes from the story to life in exquisite, and sparkly, detail. They passed through scenes of Cinderella at her house, being forced to work for her stepmother and stepsisters. They passed through the scene of her meeting the fairy godmother, and came to a stop in front of the scene of her transformation. This time their focus was not caught by the figures in the scene, no, this scene was dominated by an absolutely gorgeous, and sizable, horse drawn carriage.

Izumi and Sokka both drew closer to the rope barrier that prevented anyone from messing with the display. Sokka crouched down so he was level with Izumi, and they began talking to each other in quiet tones about the carriage. At least that’s what Zuko assumed they were talking about, given the gestures they kept making towards it. Zuko hung back a bit, reveling in watching his daughter and husband’s interaction. It filled him with so much warmth to see. It was made all the more special because this, a family, love, a happy life, was something he never truly thought he would have when growing up.

He didn’t notice Uncle Iroh coming up alongside him until the older man lay a soft hand on his shoulder. 

“Nephew,” he said, and Zuko turned, eyes misting slightly with tears. Zuko and Uncle Iroh held each other’s gazes for a moment, both knowing exactly what the other was thinking. “It is wonderful and inspiring, isn’t it?” Zuko could only nod. Uncle Iroh gave a small smile. “Let us go see what the rest of this experience has to offer.”

* * *

The rest of the display was every bit as wonderful and magical as the first few scenes. Cinderella danced with the prince in gorgeous clothing, the clock struck midnight and she left a sparkling slipper behind on a flight of marble stairs, the prince found her and put that same sparkling slipper back on her foot. The whole thing really did feel like a fairytale brought to life with the magic of the season. 

Izumi was reluctant to leave the amazing display, but finally was lured away by the promise that they could have whatever she wanted for lunch. That was how the four of them ended up at a slightly cheesy chain restaurant, eating sandwiches out of plastic woven baskets. 

After lunch they walked around the downtown of the city, Uncle Iroh pointing out his favorite sights and taking them to the best used bookstores. They meandered around, occasionally stopping to just sit and talk, while waiting for it to be time for the holiday parade to start.

Once it got nearer to dusk, Uncle Iroh turned and flashed them a mischievous smile. “I have one last place to take you in the city.”

“Oh, that’s great Uncle, but we don’t want to be late for the parade,” Zuko said hesitantly.

“Have some faith in an old man, Nephew,” Uncle Iroh turned and gestured for them to follow him with an outstretched hand. “We will not be late at all.

* * *

“Here we are!” Uncle Iroh proclaimed with a flourish. ‘Here’ seemed to be a rather unimpressive enclosed sky walkway that linked two buildings on opposite sides of a street in the middle of the city.

“It’s…” Sokka trailed off, looking around them. The sky walkway had bland dark blue carpet, and even though it was enclosed and thus protected from the worst of the elements, it was still rather chilly. They had to keep their gloves, hats, and scarves on.

Zuko stared at Uncle Iroh. He couldn’t understand why he had brought them here, and so close to the time of the parade too. Uncle Iroh seemed to sense this, and gave him a serene smile. 

“I think you will find this the best spot in the whole city, dear family, one of my friends recommended it to me.”

Before Zuko or Sokka could question Uncle Iroh further, they heard the sound of voices getting closer. They turned to see a group of people walk in from one side of the walkway.

“...gonna have the  _ best _ view!” One woman exclaimed eagerly.

“Hopefully it doesn't get too crowded in here…” another woman worried.

“Though that would warm the place up a bit!” a teenager joked.

Sokka and Zuko looked at the new crowd, and then back at Uncle Iroh questioningly.

“Oh, did I forget to mention?” Uncle Iroh had a smirk on his face. “The street below us is part of the route the parade will be travelling.”

“Uncle, you’re a genius,” Sokka breathed, reaching over to clap the older man on the shoulder.

“A better view and no biting wind, certainly seems like a wise choice in my eyes,” Uncle Iroh said breezily.

“You could have led with that information you know,” Zuko huffed affectionately.

“Ah, but then I would have missed out on seeing your expressions, and that would have been a real waste.” The three began laughing, and at Izumi’s confused and questioning face they began to laugh even harder.

* * *

The holiday parade started as night proper fell over the city. It featured lots of bright lights and festive music. Izumi was captivated right from the beginning, much as she had been with the display earlier that day.

Zuko was also pleased to see that the parade wasn’t purely Christmas focused, as these things could tend to be. The parade organizers had clearly put effort into making sure other traditions and cultures were represented, with Uncle Iroh leaning across excitedly to point out the float made by some of his friends from the Japanese cultural group he was part of. 

“Wait, your friends made that?” Izumi asked in awe, her face pressed against the glass. Her eyes lit up as she took in the colorful float, delicate flowers woven together and strung around the vehicle. There was a stunning painted backdrop that the people on the float were sitting in front of, featuring a snowy mountain scene and purple butterflies. 

Zuko watched as Izumi’s eyes lit up when the float passed close beneath them, affording them a better view of the people smiling and waving from it. She pressed a small, gloved hand to her face. Zuko knew what his daughter was thinking, she was thinking about how the people on the float looked like her. He loved watching her joy as she saw herself reflected in the people the crowds were there to see, but not for the first time found himself wishing that her seeing that kind of representation wasn’t so unusual as to be noteworthy. Maybe one day it could be the norm.

Zuko was startled out of his thoughts and back into the moment with his family by the sound of Uncle Iroh’s voice. “Yes my little lotus,” Uncle Iroh chuckled fondly, resting a hand on Izumi’s head. “And they did a great job, hmmm?”

“Yeah!” Izumi pulled herself back from the window and grinned up at him. 

As Izumi and Uncle Iroh continued to observe the parade together, Sokka reached over and wrapped an arm around Zuko’s torso. Zuko leaned into his husband's side, eyes moving back to the parade below them. “Great day, huh?” Sokka murmured.

After the parade was over they would go over to Uncle Iroh’s house and eat his homemade nikujaga. Sokka would eat too much, but insist that it was worth it. The three of them would say their goodbyes to Uncle Iroh, and get back in the car to drive home. Izumi would fall asleep in the car and have to be carried inside by her dads. She would quietly say how much fun the day had been as Sokka and Zuko tucked her into her bed after she was in her warm pajamas. Zuko and Sokka would go to bed happy with the knowledge of their daughter’s happiness.

Zuko knew this all before it even happened. “The most magical day of my life,” he whispered in response.

**Author's Note:**

> This day was lived by me as a child. I am not exaggerating. Both display and parade. Yes, it was magical. In fact it was even more magical than I could describe here. It lives in my memory as primarily an explosion of glitter and happiness. Nothing has ever been as wonderful since tbh.
> 
> I gave Sokka my fear of elevators, and what about it?? Hmm???
> 
> Toss a kudos to your Miyuki.  
> ~Follow me on Tumblr if you wanna! @miyuki-scourgeofthefirenation  
> I take fic requests, though I make no promises about timeliness in fulfilling them. Hit me up on Tumblr and we can talk about it. No NSFW. Don’t ask, it’s not gonna happen.  
> I upload for ATLA on Sundays!


End file.
